Unbeaten 2-year-old champion War Pass, winner of the $2-million Bessemer Trust Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (gr. I), and Pyro, the runner-up in the Juvenile and winner of the Risen Star Stakes (gr. III), are the early favorites for Pool 2 of Churchill Downs’ 2008 Kentucky Derby Future Wager, which opens Mar. 6.

Robert LaPenta’s War Pass, trained by Nick Zito, has been installed as the 5-1 favorite among 24 wagering interests in the second of three 2008 Kentucky Derby Future Wager pools by Churchill Downs handicapper and racing analyst Mike Battaglia. The son of Cherokee Runis a narrow choice over Winchell Thoroughbred's Pyro, the 6-1 second choice.

The mutuel field, the betting interest that consists of all 3-year-old Thoroughbreds other than the 23 individual horses on the Pool 2 betting roster, is listed as the 10-1 third choice. The “all others” wager closed as the 3-1 favorite in Pool 1 of the Kentucky Derby Future Wager. Pyro closed at 5-1 and War Pass stood as the 6-1 third choice in Pool 1.

Betting on Pool 2 of the Future Wager is scheduled to open at noon EST March 6. The pool will close at 6 p.m. EST Mar. 9, and winning payouts will be based on odds that are in place at the conclusion of wagering. The third and final pool of the 2008 Kentucky Derby Future Wager is scheduled for April 3-6.

Pool 2 of the Future Wager includes six horses that were not listed as wagering interests in the year’s first pool. The new horses in Pool 2 include Cool Coal Man and Elysium Fields, the 1-2 finishers in the Fountain of Youth (gr. I); unbeaten J Be K; Turf Paradise Derby winner Nikki’sgoldensteed; San Pedro winner Gayego; and Visionaire, third in the Risen Star.